Chapter 5

"Sir, Ricky was caught in the wee hours of this morning by our men stealing dope from our godowns and exporting it to the African harbors." Charles tightened his fists with eyes emitting fire. "Where is he now?" He growled in an untamed ire. "Sir since he was resisting our men he was given an injection of Morphine and is now lying unconscious tied with ropes in our underground cell."

"Good," Charles remarked. "I will be reaching there in twenty." At the speed of a flight, Charles drove to his underground torture cell on the outskirts of the city where he taught the delinquents an irreproachable lesson - a victory of truth over injustice. "How dare you steal from me, Ricky Mendos?" Charles hit Ricky so hard that blood began to ooze out of his lips in the first blow. He punched him in the stomach like a bulldozer and the victim vomited blood. He signaled the man beside him to ready the defibrillators. Continuous shock treatments were given to Ricky. His face became blue and he vibrated with force on every inlet of electricity in his body. "Please award me death." He pleaded feebly. "Oh you are destined to get death but before that, you need to experience what is defying Charles Rodriguez, how dangerous it is to meddle with the merciless mafia leader of the Dark soul gang. You need to suffer the irresistible torture in my hands." He declared with no mercy grinding his teeth.

Charles signaled once again the man operating defibrillators and another jolt of electricity passed into his bloodstream of Ricky. The defaulter couldn't bear it anymore and he died on the spot. "This is what you get when you try to cheat on me. So better be careful before you try to show your smartness." Charles roared to his men assembled in the dark room.

The men bowed their heads, unable to use their words to meet the unbounded fusillade of their boss. "Send the body to his family and inform them that Rickey was punished for his breach of conduct." Lighting up a cigarette Charles spoke in subtle softness. "I do not want his innocent kids and family to suffer the brunt of his sinful actions. Inform them a five million allowance is deposited in the bank and for anything required in future they can surely call me. Give his wife my number and I will always be there to help them." He spoke to one of his right-hand men.

His bodyguards and men gazed at him in untold admiration after experiencing the soft side of their boss. "Sir we will never go disloyal to you and will continue to be your bound workers till our last breath." One of the men spoke standing perked and others joined him in a slogan. Charles simply nodded to them and walked out of the room buttoning up his jacket in powerful long strides like a king after presiding over his subjects.

*****

"Tonight is our engagement followed by a party. Do not try to play your smart games before the public because if you do you are going to face hell from me." Fredrick threatened Aliza and squeezed her breasts. "Wow, they are so soft. I am eager to taste them." He reckoned like an evil wizard staring at Aliza's shapely plums in wantonness.

The party started and everyone at the venue was enjoying their time except Aliza. "Today we assembled here to organize my niece's engagement with my wife's younger brother Fredrick Roger. I wish the pair cherish many long years of happy marital bliss. Cheers to the couple." Nelson remarked, holding out his drink.

Aliza gave a forced smile with tears in her eyes. Nobody knew they weren't tears of happiness except Charla who was present at the engagement as one of the guests.

Today after her engagement Aliza's situation became more perilous. Fredrick drank too much and abused Aliza to no recovery. She asked him for a couple of days to convince her boss and resign from her job. "You bloody bitch you still dare to decline me?" Fredrick snarled at Aliza's face, forcefully brought her into his arms, and kissed her like a monster. Aliza wanted to hide in some corner of the room like a scared kitten but Alas she had no chance to escape the evil eyes of her 'would-be' fiance. "Fredrick please let us do this after marriage." She begged him but Fredrick had no heart. He gave her a treacherous smile and made predatory steps toward her.

Unable to stand his advances Aliza slapped him going foolish and that was the biggest blunder she made. Something sparkled in the eyes of the demon. Fredrick heated the frying pan on the gas stove and plastered it on Aliza's face. "I will wipe away every bit of the courage in you so that next time you wouldn't dare slap me back." He declared monstrous and hit one more time in Aliza's stomach.

"Please do not hit me like that. I am going to be your wife soon, have some mercy upon me." Aliza pleaded but Fredrick did not have the beating organ in his chest. He blew her in the stomach making use of a hockey stick Andrew played with and struck her repeatedly on her knees until she couldn't walk and walked away from the room.

Making soft sobs Aliza dragged herself to the phone in her bedroom and called Charla to help her out of the home for the night. The next morning Aliza did not want to think about what was going to happen to her in the office. She feared the abhorrence of her boss was too small a statement to describe her anxiety.

What will be his reaction when he sees his secretary with abusive marks on her face unable to even walk properly to his room?

Will he retrench her off the job because of her unchanged approach towards work or become the knight in shining armor for her?